


Growing Pains

by theobliviouswriter



Series: I Will Spend My Whole Life Loving You [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang isn't the Avatar, Adulthood, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Parents, Bending (Avatar), Bisexual Mai, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Eventual Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), F/M, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Hurt Zuko (Avatar), It will be eventually, Kid Fic, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Modern Era, Oblivious Zuko (Avatar), Okay bending does exist but it's just not mentioned in this instance, POV Zuko (Avatar), Parenthood, Past Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Protective Sokka (Avatar), Single Parents, Student Zuko, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko's Scar (Avatar), also aang and katara are only a year apart, also i tagged characters that are briefly mentioned don't mind me, doctorate zuko, if there are any more tags I'll add them, iroh died, izumi is like two, mai and zuko raised izumi together but they were never "together", or he tries to be, papa sokka au, pitchman sokka, stay-at-home dad zuko, zuko's the best dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:22:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28816299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theobliviouswriter/pseuds/theobliviouswriter
Summary: “I have feelings for you. Please don’t cry, you didn’t ruin anything. We just...need to figure it out.”Sokka’s head lolls loosely into the palms of one of Zuko’s hands. He almost looks like he doesn’t believe him, but then he asks, “How long?”“Since I was seventeen,” Zuko says.The panic that’s rolled through Sokka for so long finally seems to dissipate a tad. He sighs deeply and closes his eyes. Then, he chuckles quietly. “Since I was sixteen.”“We’ve really had feelings for each other at the same time for so long,” Zuko whispers.As much as Zuko loves his life and everything in it now, he still wonders—he can’t help it—just how different it would be if neither one of them weren’t so chicken shit.OR, where Zuko and Sokka confess their feelings for each other after years of hiding their true emotions due to either uncertainty or life-changing events.
Relationships: Aang & Katara (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: I Will Spend My Whole Life Loving You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2112744
Comments: 19
Kudos: 106





	Growing Pains

**Author's Note:**

> This story went through a lot to get where it was and I'm proud of what it became. I'd like to thank [Hai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haicrescendo/pseuds/Haicrescendo), [Gab](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/divorcedzukka), [The Sad Lesbian Clown](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadLesbianClown/pseuds/SadLesbianClown), [Gaylord Zuko](https://gaylord-zuko.tumblr.com/), [Natasha](https://abanishedprince.tumblr.com/), [Jay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/raininginthestreets/pseuds/raininginthestreets), and [Sin](https://sintheeuhxo.tumblr.com/) for all of the beta reading they did. They really helped shape up this story and I can't thank them enough for what they did to help! Y'all really helped me and supported me even when I was a little frustrated with the direction I was going. Thank you for helping me figure it out! We did it! Here it is!

Zuko was never too sure if he wanted to be a father. While the idea excited him, his childhood trauma tended to taint his decision, telling him it would be a bad idea. Saying that he would be just like his father. Zuko knew that this was just fear talking—he would fight tooth and nail to be anything but. Yet, for a long time, he was afraid to even consider it. 

That was until he was forced into the situation. 

It was at one of his sister’s parties. There weren’t too many people, but it was enough that Zuko was somewhat annoyed at himself for going. He was a high school teacher getting his doctorate—he needed to be studying or grading papers, and yet, he found himself in one of the upper rooms of the apartment, sipping on wine and brooding over the fact that he was there. 

As he sat alone, too intoxicated to leave but sober enough to _want_ to, a long time friend ducked into the room.

Mai. 

She was one of the few friends Azula had since she was young, and when Zuko was forced to play with them, she would always sit aside with him and they’d talk about things. 

Zuko used to tell her everything. How he liked the calm, how he detested Azula for always roughhousing. He even told her he was gay when he was in middle school. She was the first person to know. Mai was always supportive, level headed, and gave him the judgment-free space to say what he needed. 

In the years between high school and college, the two drifted apart. They went to different schools, made different friends. They grew up as separate entities, and that night, they spent hours and hours catching up, sneaking down and snatching bottles of wine to sip on. 

A few bottles in and very early in the morning, catching up turned into talking of the future, and this was when Zuko confronted old fears he had. 

They managed to end up on the topic of kids. Mai said that she wanted one at some point and that she sometimes worried that she would be too cold towards the child. Zuko said that he was frightened of becoming his father.

In a tender moment between the two, they reflected their fears and they swore to defy the expectation; within those same minutes, they said fuck it. 

Mai and Zuko decided to try to become parents that night. 

There were special circumstances, considering Zuko’s gayness, so on another round of sneaking down to get more alcohol, Mai found a turkey baster. 

The rest could be left to the imagination, but at the end of the night, the two passed out, not realizing that just then, they would, indeed, become parents. 

Morning came with giant headaches and having to hold Mai’s hair back, and while she heaved into the toilet, Zuko contemplated the night before: the things they said and did. 

Zuko offered to get Mai a morning after pill. 

Mai said that she meant everything, and that if he was up to it, she wanted to raise a child together as friends. 

Of course, not every pregnancy attempt was successful. So, Zuko said that if she did end up pregnant, he was more than willing, but he didn’t feel the need to try any further. 

A month or so later, Mai found out she was pregnant. 

This scared Zuko, even though he wanted it. He wanted it so bad. There were no issues when it came to affording the child. However, he was still afraid of the possibility of being a terrible father.

It took a few days to talk him out of that mindset—a few days of hanging out with his best friend. Sokka knew how to smooth out any of the wrinkles Zuko showed up in.

The several pep-talks helped. He was more than ready to become a dad once Sokka was able to help him understand that he could break the cycle and was _not_ his father. (It took equal parts statistics and affirmation.) 

Zuko went to Mai the day after his last pep-talk with Sokka and asked her to help him find a house and move in with him. 

Throughout the pregnancy, Zuko was attentive as he could be. Between teaching and homework, he would read paternity books and keep himself informed on what size the baby would be what week. He made sure to take care of Mai in the ways that he could and went to all sorts of parenting classes with her. The day they found out the baby was a girl, he started teaching himself different types of hairstyles (partially with the help of Mai and Katara, Sokka’s sister) and picking out different nursery themes. When the school year came to an end, he decided to drop his position as a teacher and become a stay-at-home father so Mai could finish her college education and establish herself in a decent job. Zuko refused the idea of a nanny or daycare and planned to remain stay-at-home until Izumi was in school. He wanted to prove he could be the best dad. 

Some would say that he was a changed man. While he used to be pessimistic and moody, Zuko became optimistic and ready to meet his little “Turtleduck.”

Zuko was in the room when she was born, and while he almost passed out, it was the best day of his life. He and his best friend had created something so beautiful, so pure—they now had their baby Izumi. 

The next year or so drifted by easily. Zuko worked on his doctorate alongside raising Izumi, and while Mai wasn’t there as much (college classes, and when she graduated, her job), the three were happy together as a family. They would go out to the park to feed turtleducks and had a special day called Ice Cream Wednesday. Everything was so easy, so happy, for so long. At least, that’s how Zuko saw it. Mai, on the other hand, suffered quietly.

At first, Mai wouldn’t admit it. She would numbly lean against him while he made calls to therapists, seeing which one would help her best—did she need more Izumi time? Was that it? Mai did go to a therapist for a while and it worked, but Zuko never knew if it was enough. 

One day when Izumi was about two and a half, Mai broke the news to him. She said that she was in love with him, and because of that, she thought that it would be good if she left—not left, but moved out and tried to move on.

They were friends for the longest time, and while they had a child together, he always saw her as nothing _but_ a friend. He loved his child’s mother to the sun and back; he wanted to provide for her. That much was true. But, to her, his love fell short. 

It was painful for her to love someone so much and not have it in return, and Zuko, though scared at the prospect of custody, knew he couldn’t keep her in a place that caused her harm. So, he agreed to support her because he did love her, but not in that way. And, even though it would separate the two of them and cause Izumi to bounce back and forth, it would be better for her in the end. 

Izumi was their top priority; how could she grow up happy if neither of her parents were? 

Zuko helped Mai through the process. Finding apartments, buying furniture. He did all of it alongside her, and while he was willing, he was still hurting. 

After Mai moved out, he would no longer get to have Izumi every day. He originally moved in with Mai so he didn’t have to worry about that, but the circumstances had changed. The two grew together, and now they needed to diverge. 

Through these changes, Zuko needed comfort where Mai or Izumi couldn’t give it, so he found himself ending up at Sokka’s a lot. Maybe for only thirty minutes or a few hours, but like before, Sokka was a calming factor. Feeding him statistics that would make Zuko optimistic, or telling him that this didn’t make him any less of a good dad; rather, Zuko and Mai were on journeys where they couldn’t travel together and didn’t need to. 

His words made the next month bearable; he made Zuko laugh, smile, feel more himself. Sokka was his rock in tough times, so unmoving and stable. 

Even now, as Zuko’s about to face his first day without Izumi, Sokka and all of Zuko’s friends offer him a distraction so he knows he won’t have to be alone. So, as Zuko gets ready to send Izumi off with Mai for the first time ever, he tries to look forward to his night out with his friends. It’s hard, as he’s dressing Izumi, but he keeps trying to tell himself, _You’ll have a good time…._

“Daddy?”

“Zumi?”

Zuko’s working at the zipper of Izumi’s puffer jacket. While he paid a lot of money for the thing, the zipper’s a piece of work, and he has to tug on the bottom a few times before he’s sure it’s secure. His eyes follow the zipper, making sure it doesn’t catch on the nylon, and stops just under her chin. He notices her mouth is set in a small pout, so he raises his gaze to meet hers. 

Tears fill her eyes, so Zuko frowns. “What’s wrong, Zumi?”

Zuko’s always been so insistent on communication, especially when it comes to big emotions. Being only two and a half, it’s hard for such a small child to deal with big changes. He knows that all of this must be so confusing to her, and he’s been trying his best to get her to express it. It’s never good to hold in those emotions and she has yet to boil over.

So, Zuko knows what Izumi is facing right now is not a tantrum; it’s the surprising understanding that Zuko won’t be coming with her—she watched him pack her bags earlier and he’s not dressed the part. He’s still in his Henley and sweatpants. She’s all bundled up to go out with Mai. 

Izumi’s still young; he hoped that maybe she wouldn’t quite register that he wouldn’t be able to give her goodnight kisses, but the uncertainty on her face tells him everything he needs to know.

“What big feelings are you feeling, Turtleduck?” he asks anyway, encouraging her. He wipes away the stray tear that’s rolled down her cheek. Zuko hates seeing her cry, but he knows there’s nothing he can do. She simply has to roll these uncertainties—he hopes to spirits that she’s not scared, but if she is, she’s not alone. Zuko’s scared, too.

“Me and Mommy, you go?” she asks, sniffing. Another tear drips down her cheek and he’s quick to wipe it away with his thumb. 

Seeing her like this, even though he knows she’ll be fine later, makes his heart ache. It’s his job to protect that little heart of hers, and watching her weep makes it seem that—even with Sokka’s constant affirmations—he’s failed in some way. 

“It’s going to be just you and Mommy the next couple of days, Zumi. But I can call you before you go to sleep and we can talk. Does that sound okay?” 

Izumi sniffs. “You no come?” 

Zuko would in a heartbeat, especially with those puppy dog eyes she’s giving him, but he can’t. It infringes on Mai’s time and refuses to take that away from her.

“I would love to, my love, but you and Mommy need some girl time. Will you promise to have fun?”

No more tears spring to her eyes, but she’s still sad—that much is obvious from the downturn of the corners of her lips and her permanently set doe-eyes. Like she’s begging Zuko to come with her. 

“I have fun,” she sighs resolutely. She attempts to hop off the edge of her bed, but Zuko places her back on it. 

“One more thing,” Zuko says. He pulls the puffer jacket hood over her head, zips it the rest of the way, and snaps the buttons closed. Then, he places a kiss on her forehead. 

“No, Daddy,” Izumi says when he pulls away. She points to her cheek, so Zuko obliges and gives her a peck there, too. 

There’s a knock at the front door. 

And now, she’s going to be out of Zuko’s presence for two days. He’ll have his distractions, but that won’t stop him from thinking of her and wishing she was with him. It’s so damn hard; he’s wrapped around her little pinky finger. 

Zuko has to set these thoughts aside for now. If he cries, he knows she’ll cry, too, and that’s the last thing he wants. It’ll make the separation all the more grueling. 

So, he puts on his happy face. He smiles at Izumi and she stares back at him with unblinking eyes. “I think it’s Mommy, Izumi! Should we go let her in?” 

Izumi hasn’t seen Mai since she started moving into her apartment a few days ago, so that at least builds up a bit of excitement within the toddler. Zuko stands from the crouch he was in and lets her run off towards the front door. He follows and closes her bedroom door behind him.

Walking into the living room and towards the foyer, he notices Izumi try to open the front door; the deadbolt is just out of her reach. She’s not successful in her endeavor, but it reminds Zuko to look into buying door knob covers. He scoops her into his arms and she squeals in delight. He presses another kiss to her cheek in response before opening the door. 

Mai’s standing there, appearing exasperated at first—she looks _spent_. But when her eyes land on Izumi, she smiles. 

Zuko calls that the Izumi Effect.

“Mommy!” Izumi says, leaning over towards Mai; she takes their daughter from Zuko’s arms and peppers kisses all over her face, earning even more squeals from Izumi. The sight is something beautiful: it’s a moment of pure happiness between a mother and her child. It’s a sight Zuko could take in all day—a sight that he wishes didn’t have to disappear. 

“Hey, Izumi,” Mai says after taking a breath. She peers down at Izumi with nothing but love in her eyes. “Are you ready to have some fun tonight?” 

Izumi quickly looks at Zuko and he gives her a small nod of reassurance. 

“Yeah!” Izumi says. “Fun!”

“ _Perfect_ ,” Mai says, turning from Zuko. She starts to head for the car and Zuko follows behind as he still has the bag. 

Mai buckles Izumi into her carseat; after making sure everything’s fastened, she closes the door, leans against the car, and turns to Zuko with a sigh. At that moment, he takes account of just how dark the circles around her bloodshot eyes are. She doesn’t look too happy, but not in the way that makes him feel at fault. 

Rather, she needs someone to talk to. 

“I’ve got everything done,” she tells him. “I’m all moved in. I’ve changed my address on all of my important documents, all of that stuff. I’m exhausted, but it’s done.” 

Zuko half smiles at her. When she first brought up moving out, Zuko offered her the house. Mai said she didn’t feel right doing that—that regardless, the house is where Izumi’s going to stay the most, so it would be better if he kept it.

“You did this to yourself,” Zuko tells her with a slight smirk. “I offered—”

“I know. I know you did,” Mai says. Her gaze diverts—she glances over his shoulder, so he turns to see if there’s anything there. There isn’t. She doesn’t want to look at him. 

“Is everything okay?” he asks her. 

Mai exhales like she’s been holding her breath. “Is this best for Izumi?” she asks. 

Zuko’s brow furrows. “What do you mean?”

For a moment, Mai seems as if she’s fighting herself. She opens her mouth to say something but shuts it right after. It’s the same struggle of emotions that she’s going to therapy for, but this past month, surely, also has her frazzled and somewhat out of place. (All the more a reason to help Izumi when it comes to expressing her emotions.) 

Zuko reaches out and squeezes her hand. She still won’t look at him, but she does say, “Me moving out. Us not living together. She’s so little, and—”

Zuko rests his hand on her shoulder. Her eyes snap to his. “We’re doing what is healthy for everyone, Mai. It’s hard for all of us...but we’ll get through it. Happy parents, happy child.” 

That’s the mantra they’ve been going with through the entire process. They’ve both had their reservations about going through with this, but in the end, that reminder tells them that what they’re doing is what is needed. 

The same mantra appears to remind Mai now. She smiles; it’s weak, but it’s a smile nonetheless. “Thank you.” 

Zuko pulls her into his arms and kisses the top of her head. “Take care of yourself, Mai. We’re doing this for all of us.”

Letting go, Zuko steps back and hands her the overnight bag. Mai takes it from him and half smiles. “You’re right...it’ll be fine.” 

As the conversation’s drawn to an end, Mai walks around the car to put Izumi’s things up and Zuko opens their toddler’s door. She looks up at Zuko, chewing on a teething ring (her molars are coming in and it’s quite an uncomfortable process for her), and grins. “You come yeah?”

The smile that was making its way to his face stalls. “No, Turtleduck. Just you and Mommy, but I’ll see you soon.” 

Izumi’s big, gap-toothed smile turns into a pout and tears fill her eyes again. 

Zuko has to remind himself that it will be worse before it gets better and that in a few months, things will start to feel normal again. 

It’ll be the same for her, too.

“Everything will be okay. I’ll see you in a couple of days, okay? Have fun with Mommy!”

“I lub you!” Izumi says. She reaches out with grabby hands and pulls Zuko down by the collar. She gives him a kiss on the cheek with a loud, “Mwah!” and lets him go. 

Those little tears work their way down the curves of her chubby cheeks. He gives one a gentle pinch and smiles at her. “I love you. Two days.” 

“Two,” Izumi whimpers. 

If Zuko doesn’t pull away now, he knows he’ll never be able to. He gives her one more goodbye kiss and shuts the door. 

Mai’s already in the driver’s seat with the window rolled down. Zuko turns to her. He doesn’t know what to tell her—she’s a good mother, so he guesses that all he can offer are positive sentiments. “Have fun, okay?” 

“Of course,” Mai says. She reaches out of the window and squeezes Zuko’s arm affirmingly. “We’ll call you at bedtime, okay? I’ll see you then.” 

Zuko nods. 

After another few seconds, Mai takes off down the road, carrying his heart away with her. 

Zuko makes his way back up to the house and closes the door behind him. He doesn’t want to be all mopey when he’s supposed to have fun with his friends later, so he gives himself a couple of minutes to cry it out now that Izumi’s out of his presence.

As much as Zuko knows it’ll be just fine, _it will_ , these first few nights without her are going to be tough. 

The tears dry after a few moments—they may return after the goodnight call, but that doesn’t matter now. Not when he needs to get ready to go out for the night.

Zuko checks the time on his phone—they’re meeting in an hour. He rubs his tear stained face and stretches before heading back to his room to get ready. 

“You’ll have a good time,” he tells himself before diving headfirst into his closet to pick out what he wants to wear.

*** 

For the second time today, there’s a knock on the door and it’s just as Zuko’s finished with styling his hair. It’s the shiniest it’s been in years, slicked back and pinned up. He almost doesn’t recognize himself, and while it’s good to be able to take care of himself again _for once_ , it’s still odd to see himself so put together. He covers his left eye with his hand, and in doing that, he swears he’s looking at a stranger. 

A second louder knock startles Zuko out of his trance and he sets his comb aside. Sokka is probably just being a dick, but he knows he should get going. He gives himself a once-over in the mirror, making sure everything’s in place. At the same time, he grabs his cologne and sprays it in the spaces where his ears meet the base of his neck. 

“That should do,” Zuko tells himself, dabbing the excess because he surely put on too much. Once he’s finished doing that, he rushes out of the bathroom, snags his overnight bag from atop his bed, and pulls it over the shoulder as he paces through the living room and into the foyer. He’s able to open the door just before Sokka knocks a third time, but just barely. Sokka’s fist is an inch away from Zuko’s throat when he realizes that the door is open. He lets his hand fall to his side, but he must still feel the need to call Zuko out. 

“Took you long enough, Hotman,” Sokka says. He looks a tad serious at first, and he probably is with his obsession with being on schedule, but then he really takes a look at Zuko. 

Sokka’s eyes rake Zuko up and down in ways that almost feel like a violation. Except Zuko can’t find himself to care too much and might actually like it. It’s not the right time to let something like _this_ fluster him, though. He clears his throat and it seems to snap Sokka out of it. 

“Don’t you look dashing,” Sokka says, cheeks flushing. He clears his throat himself, crossing his arms. “Anyway, are you ready to go?” 

_Is_ he ready to go?

Zuko thinks for a minute. He has a change of clothes, toiletries, anything he would need for the night….

Except Izumi, or a piece of her. 

Would it be weird if he grabbed one of her stuffies?

“Hey, Zuko—”

“Stop rushing me—”

Sokka places his hand on Zuko’s arm and it silences him. He peers at Sokka. “I’m not rushing you. I was just going to ask if everything was all right.” 

_It will be_ , Zuko tells himself. He tells Sokka, “I’m just going to grab one of Izumi’s plushes really quick and then I’ll be good to go.” 

“I can take your duffel to the car while you grab that,” Sokka says with a sympathetic smile, holding his arms out.

Sokka’s been so understanding through all of this and sometimes Zuko wonders why he takes his shit. It feels like all he does is complain, but Sokka never turns him away. 

“Thank you,” Zuko says. He passes the duffel over, and like a dork, Sokka pretends to almost collapse under its weight. Zuko thinks he does it to earn a smile, and he does, but then, he sets out to grab a plush for Izumi’s room. 

As Zuko tromps towards the bedroom, he wonders why Sokka never became a dad. Zuko guesses it’s just because he and Suki were never ready or didn’t want any when they were still married; when he pulls shit like that alongside his dad jokes, though, all Zuko can think is that it’s wasted potential. (Maybe that’s why he’s a children’s TV network pitchman. To vent his funny-guy antics into children’s shows.)

Zuko shakes the thought out of his head when he opens Izumi’s door and grabs the first plush he can get his hands on. His goal is to _not_ cry before Izumi and Mai call for the night, so it’s in and out of her room. He shuts the door behind him and doesn’t look at what he grabbed until he’s locked the front door, climbed into Sokka’s car, and buckled in.

It’s a little ring-tailed winged lemur that Aang bought for Izumi when they went to a wildlife center. He guesses it’s cute enough to cuddle with for the night. 

“That looks just like Momo,” Sokka says, acknowledging the stuffed animal. “I miss that little guy.” 

“Yeah. Aang got it for her,” Zuko says, giving it another look before turning towards the backseat. He places the stuffed animal on top of his duffel just as Sokka pulls out of the driveway and takes off towards downtown. 

The first couple minutes of the drive are quiet. Sokka doesn’t say anything and Zuko doesn’t know what to ask that he doesn’t already have the answer to about what’s going on with Sokka. 

It’s not that they don’t know comfortable silence, but Zuko’s trying to stay too out of his head—

“Hey.” Sokka turns right and rolls up to a stoplight. He faces Zuko. “You know she’s just fine.” 

Zuko nods. 

“And I know it’s hard not to worry, but...Mai’s got it. She’s a good mom.” 

“Yeah,” Zuko says. 

Sokka reaches over and pats Zuko’s cheek. “Try to just...have fun with us tonight. And if you need a shoulder to cry on, well.” 

“Yeah,” Zuko says, glancing at Sokka’s shoulder. “Okay.” 

Then, they change the subject.

The rest of the drive, Zuko tries to pester information out of Sokka. (He said to have fun, did he not?) There’s this project he’s been working on for work and he’s said nothing of it. He tries his best at first to weasel out information, but Sokka catches on fast. 

As they pull into the parking lot, he says, “I _can’t_ tell you about it, Zuko.”

“It’ll stay top secret! I have no one to tell,” Zuko says just as Sokka parks right next to Aang’s car. “Besides, you tell me all of the network secrets. Why is this one so special?” 

Sokka shrugs nonchalantly, unbuckling his seat belt. “That’s for me to know, and you to find out, dude.”

Before Zuko can pester him any further, Sokka climbs out of the car and slams the door shut. 

Zuko scoffs at the audacity, but he can’t help the smile tugging at the corner at his lips. 

When Zuko gets out and catches up with Sokka, he links his arm with the other. “I think that you are an evil bastard.” 

Sokka glances up at him while locking the car door. “Hmm. Why?” 

“Because you are a _tease_ , you draw me in with the fact that you’re pitching an idea and then...then you don't tell me what it is!” 

“You looked at my desk and saw a single storyboard sketch,” Sokka says, opening the first of the double doors for Zuko to pass through. “I didn’t tell you _shit_. You’re just a brat and always want more.” 

Zuko rolls his eyes, walking into the building. He holds the second door open for Sokka. “I just want to know what makes this project different.”

Sokka chortles. “You’ll find out. Thank you.” 

Then, he passes through the door.

Zuko huffs like a brat and follows behind Sokka. When he stands at his side, he notices that the place is semi-packed. A couple in front of them seem to be checking if they’re allowed to sit without their full party—Zuko knows that voice and the tattoo that runs just over his bald head. Beside him, a slightly shorter woman with a long braid stands. 

“Aang, Katara,” Zuko says.

As Aang’s talking to the host, Katara’s the only one to pay any mind. When she turns around to face him and Sokka, Zuko’s thoroughly surprised to find that she could take an eye out with the baby bump she’s sporting. He did not expect _that_ —he didn’t know she was _expecting_. So when he stands there face to face with her belly, he just _gawks_. 

“It’s rude to stare,” Sokka says, wrapping his arm around Zuko’s shoulders. He stands erect at Sokka’s touch and glances over at him. 

“I didn’t know she was pregnant!”

“I’m _right_ here!” Katara says. 

She walks up to Zuko with derision on her face. The typical look she gives him, but mostly because old habits die hard. (But it isn’t Katara if she doesn’t give him a look of disappointment at first glance, even if she isn’t.) It melts into something congenial. It’s almost too much, too sweet, too...too….

“Are you doing okay, Zuko?” she asks.

Yep. Zuko should’ve seen that coming. Katara almost reaches out to comfort him, but she must notice that he’s a little uncomfortable and pulls her hand back.

It’s probably inadvertent, but she’s frowning a little and it makes Zuko feel bad. “Uh. Sorry,” he says. “I just...don’t sit around and feel sorry for me. This isn’t a pity party.” 

“Give us a hug at least,” Aang speaks up, turning to face them. He steps up beside her and wraps an arm around her waist. “A hug’s not out of pity.”

Zuko looks behind himself and Sokka to make sure no one’s trying to get in, and when there isn’t, he pulls Katara in first. The rest of the friends wrap around him and Zuko sighs. 

There’s something comforting about group hugs, even if it is in the front of the restaurant where everyone else is waiting (and watching). But something seems off. After a moment of absorbing their love, he looks up and notices that Toph isn’t there. 

“Is Toph not coming?” Zuko asks. 

“She is, but her...boyfriend—friend with benefits?—is dropping her off,” Katara lets him know. 

Toph’s the only friend of theirs that hasn’t either settled down or attempted to yet, so this isn’t too surprising. 

After another couple of seconds, the group of friends disengage and stand to one of the sides of the entryway. Toph shows up almost right after they do so, and they’re immediately seated. 

Zuko finds himself settling between Sokka and Katara, and again, his eyes are drawn to her bump.

Katara must feel his staring. She places her hand atop her bump and gently rubs it. “I’m six months along, in case you were wondering.” 

The tips of Zuko’s ears burn; his gaze snaps up to her face, and thankfully, she looks more amused than anything. “Sorry...I just didn’t expect, and it’s making me—when was the last time we _all_ hung out?” 

“We usually hang out regularly every weekend,” Toph says. “You’re too busy being a dad.” 

Zuko’s eyes widen. “What?” 

Toph shrugs. “We usually just go to Aang and Katara’s, but we hang. We invite you, but when you’re not doing homework, you’re parenting.” 

“That’s something I can’t help,” Zuko says with a frown.

“Just bring Izumi over, then,” Toph says. 

“That’s not what he means,” Sokka says, stepping in for Zuko. “But it doesn’t matter. What does is that Zuko’s here _now_ , right?” 

Zuko exhales. He’s glad Sokka doesn’t specify, but a lot’s been going on, especially with Mai….

Aang’s the first one to nod, always being the enthusiastic one. And Katara reaches out and places a hand on Zuko’s arm. “If you needed anything, you know—”

“I do,” Zuko says with an awkward smile. “I do know, Katara. Thank you...I’ve been hanging out with Sokka. He’s been helping.”

Zuko hopes he sounds resolute enough to end this conversation.

“Right,” Katara says. She looks to Sokka, then back at Zuko and tries to hide a little smirk. Zuko finds it suspicious. “Anyway...yeah. I’m glad that you’re here now, and I think _Toph_ should apologize.”

“I’m sorry,” Toph says, and Zuko notices that she’s staring in his general direction with a visage of regret. 

“It’s fine...it’s just not something I want to talk about tonight.” 

Before anyone else can speak, a waiter stops by and begins taking everyone’s drink orders. Sokka leans in while the waiter’s taking orders across the table and asks Zuko, “Will you want anything alcoholic to drink? If you don’t, I do.” 

Zuko looks at the page that Sokka’s turned to. “If I get wine, I’ll let you sip it. I don’t think one will do anything.” 

Sokka shrugs. “Okay. Which one?” 

The waiter approaches them after a moment, and once everyone’s ordered their drinks (and Toph’s ordered an appetizer for the table), they hop back into discussion. Focusing on Zuko, naturally. (And he doesn’t like it too much.) 

Aang asks, out of the goodness of his heart and not to smear it in his face that Izumi won’t be with him every day anymore, “So, what are you going to do on your free days?” 

“I’m still a student, so I guess...just study.” 

“Oh, boo,” Toph laughs. Jovially, and in a friendly manner. “Have some fun, Zuko! We all know you work to the bone!”

“What do you suggest?” Zuko grumbles. 

“I don’t know. Hang with us on the weekends, bring _Izumi_. Sleep around—”

Sokka coughs, hard, and it scares half the table. Zuko turns towards him and raises a brow. 

“I”—cough—“swallowed”—cough—“spit.”

Zuko pats him on the back until he’s not so red in the face. “Good?”

Sokka nods then looks back at Toph. “Do you _know_ Zuko?”

Toph shrugs. “He’s got the house free to him now, and the time to go out to someone else’s!”

Zuko shudders a little at the thought of bringing someone over to his house for a one night stand, or going over to someone’s for that—it’s not his thing. So that’s off the table. 

The one night stand aspect at least. He’s never ruled out dating...but he doesn’t know. 

There’s a lot that goes into dating when you’re a parent and….

“Toph, can you stop making Zuko uncomfortable?” Katara says. 

Zuko refocuses and looks back at Toph. She seems a bit disgruntled since she can’t do her job to bully Zuko a little. 

Any other day would be fine, but he thanks Katara with a small smile. 

“I just...don’t know what else I would do, you know? Might as well do homework.” 

“Hey, actually,” Sokka says, nudging Zuko’s arm. “Do you remember that master list of hobbies I made for you to try out? We haven’t finished that because we got too busy.” 

Zuko raises a brow. “The one from _high school_?” 

Ten years ago, when they just became friends, Zuko was lonely and bored and Sokka came up with this giant list of “fun” things to do. The fact that he still has it is absolutely astounding to Zuko. 

Sokka smirks, just a bit. “The very one. On the napkin and everything.” 

“Those are _so_ lame,” Zuko says. “Isn’t one just...breadmaking?”

“That sounds like a cute date, actually,” Toph says. 

Katara, naturally, tells Toph off, and as she does, Zuko takes Sokka in for a moment. They both kind of stare at each other. No thoughts roam his mind, but there’s something in the very pit of him that just...clicks. He doesn’t know how to compare the feeling to anything else, but there’s this sudden sense of understanding, even when he doesn’t know _what_ he’s exactly understanding. 

Sokka, after a moment, smiles just slightly at him and Zuko has to tear his eyes away from his face because he can’t take it anymore. He grabs the glass of wine that was just placed in front of him and drinks it in one gulp. 

“Would you...like another, Sir?” the waiter asks. 

After determining he only needs water, the waiter moves on, and the whole table orders. Katara picks up the conversation after he leaves. 

The questions are pretty typical and future-oriented. What he does want to do with the time to himself, what he thinks he’s going to be doing once he finishes his doctorate, stuff like that. 

Zuko also finds out how the others have been doing. Katara’s finishing up her law degree. Aang’s got a paid internship with a councilman. Toph’s Tophing it up and gliding through her masters. He already knows what Sokka’s been doing, and before much more can be discussed, their food is brought out and they chow down. 

As Zuko’s finishing the last bites of his meal, Mai video calls him. The very sight of her name atop his phone screen makes him both excited and sad—excited to see Izumi again, sad to know that he won’t video call her again until about this time tomorrow. He tries to put on his happy face, and when he answers the phone, he’s met with a wide grin and sparkling brown eyes. 

“Turtleduck!” Zuko says, and his voice drips with pure joy. He’s so fucking happy to see her. 

“Daddy!” his little girl cheers. “I see you!”

Zuko’s grinning too, now. Genuinely. “I see you too, my love. What did you do with Mommy?” 

Mai tilts the camera up just a smidge so she can be in the picture, too. “We went and built some snow people, and then we _tried_ ice skating, but Zumi wasn’t a big fan of that.” 

“Ooh,” Zuko says, looking at the bottom of the screen where Izumi’s little face is. “No ice skating?” 

Izumi shakes her head back and forth several times. “I a’faid.” 

Zuko chuckles. “It’s a little scary. Do you want to say hi to your aunts and uncles?”

Izumi’s eyes grow wide. “Unco Sokka?” 

Sokka chuckles—Zuko doesn’t realize he’s leaned against him, but he can feel the reverberation work through him and into Zuko’s chest.

Tilting the camera towards Sokka, Zuko says, “It’s your favorite person!” 

“Unco Sokka!”

Sokka just grins. Izumi’s always been his little munchkin. He loves her and Bumi, Aang and Katara’s kid, so much and they love him. 

“What’s up, Turtleduck! Have fun with your mommy?” 

For the next few minutes, Zuko’s phone is passed off to each person at the table, saying hi to Izumi, asking her how she is. She’s typically a little shy, but she loves the attention from people she knows. 

When it’s Katara’s turn, she lets Izumi know that she’s going to have a little cousin named Kya, and that she’ll get to see the baby soon. 

Izumi’s practically vibrating with excitement when Zuko gets the phone back, and it comforts him knowing she’s in a good mood, especially around sleepy time. 

“Zumi, it’s almost time for bed now,” Zuko says. “Are you sleeping in your big girl bed, or with Mommy?”  
“Mommy!” 

It’s a new place, and Mai’s one of the only familiarities Izumi has. Plus, she’s usually in bed with Zuko at some point every night. It doesn’t surprise him that it’s going to be the same with Mai. 

“Will you _try_ the big girl bed?” Zuko asks. 

Izumi, the smart toddler, pretends to think by stroking her chin. “No. Mommy bed.” 

Zuko can’t argue with that. “Okay, then. Make sure Mommy gives you lots of kisses from me, all right?” 

“Yeah.” 

“I love you, Izumi,” Zuko says, waving his hand at the camera. 

“I lub you!” Izumi says back, still with a grin. Thankfully. 

“I’ll see you in a day and a half.” 

“See you!” 

“Bye, Zuko,” Mai says. “I’ll catch you up later.”

“Bye, Mai.”

Then, the call ends. 

For a moment, Zuko sits there, staring at the black screen of his phone, realizing that the call didn’t last long. Izumi’s so happy, that’s good. She’s all grins and giggles. She’ll get her cuddles. 

Zuko doesn’t realize that he’s crying until a tear drips onto his phone, and then another. And another. 

“Zuko,” Sokka calls, but it sounds far. 

Fuck, it’s only been a couple of hours, but he _misses_ Izumi. 

“Hey, buddy,” Sokka says again, gently nudging his arm. Zuko lifts his head and peers into pools of blue—the anchor to his boat. “Are you with me?”

Zuko nods, exhaling. “Yeah.” 

“Do you want to leave?” Sokka asks Zuko quietly. The others hear, and Zuko glances around to take account of their reactions, but they all appear pretty understanding, even Toph.

“Can we?” Zuko asks.

“Yeah,” Sokka says.

“Are you going back home?” Katara asks as Zuko pulls out several banknotes. 

“Zuko’s staying with me for the night,” Sokka tells them, then swipes up Zuko’s money from the table. “And I’m paying.”

Zuko glares at him. “I’m a trust fund—”

“Let me take care of you,” Sokka says softly, and the words feel like a shot to the heart—meaningful, entirely sincere. Zuko lets his defenses fall and takes the money back from Sokka. He pulls out a fistful of bills from his wallet and reaches over Zuko to hand Katara the money. He stands when she takes it. “You ready to go, Zuko?” 

Zuko stands as well and slides his wallet back into his pocket. “Thank you, guys. Let me know the next time you’re getting together. Izumi would love to see Bumi.” 

The pair leave the table after several forms of salutation are exchanged. 

While they head back to the car, Sokka asks, “What would you like to do when we get back to my place? I was thinking, like, wine and a movie?” 

Zuko chortles. “Sign me up.” 

***

It’s early in the morning and while the TV’s still running with some mindless As Seen On TV ads, Zuko’s not paying attention. His eyes are weighed down with exhaustion while bright colors pass his line of vision.

Zuko’s so comfortable where he is. A blanket thrown over his body, Sokka’s fingers running through his hair now that he’s let it out of its updo. He’s not drunk, but he forgets how he wound up with his head in Sokka’s lap. But it’s there, and he doesn’t want to move. 

“Zuko?” Sokka says quietly. 

“Hmm?” 

Sokka chortles quietly. “I was checking if you fell asleep.” 

“Oh,” Zuko says, shifting slightly so he can lay flat on his back. He looks up into oceans. Even in his exhaustion, his body reacts to the sight of something so beautiful; his heart flip-flops in his chest. “I didn’t.” 

“You look like you’re about to,” Sokka says, his hand now migrating down ever so slightly. He runs a thumb across the upper rim of the scar around his left eye. “You can sleep.”

“Hmm.” Zuko leans up into Sokka’s touch, enjoying the gentle caress, the tender care. It’s been a long time since he’s been in Sokka’s grasp like this. So close. So personal. He wants a few more minutes to absorb that before he has to drift off. His eyes close anyway, and he exhales. 

“Do you want to move to a bed?” Sokka asks him. 

“No,” Zuko says, rolling onto his side. He buries his face into Sokka’s lower stomach and Sokka takes a sharp breath. If Zuko was more cognizant, he would ask why. “I’m not sleeping yet.” 

Though, he’s close to it….

Sokka goes back to running his fingers through Zuko’s hair, giving his scalp a little massage before he runs them through the strands. It feels _so_ good, and Zuko wants to tell him, but before he can, Sokka starts speaking. 

“I lo—” Sokka stops himself mid-sentence. He stops and holds his breath.

Zuko rolls over slightly just to catch a look at Sokka, but he looks terror-stricken. 

“What?” Zuko asks, rubbing his eye.

Sokka exhales a shuddering breath. “Nothing.”

“It isn’t nothing.”

Sokka looks down at Zuko and there are too many emotions on his face for Zuko to tell what he could possibly be thinking.

“Can we talk about it tomorrow, then?” Sokka asks, and he sounds so nervous that it wakes Zuko up a bit. 

Even though Zuko’s incredibly comfortable where he is, safe in his little Sokka bubble, he sits up and pulls his knees to his chest. He almost wants to lay back down again, he’s so tired, but he shakes his head in the hopes of snapping out of exhaustion. (It doesn’t work.)

“Are you sure we don’t need to talk about it tonight?” Zuko asks. 

Sokka blinks, a little stunned. “No. I don’t think so.”

Zuko doesn’t think Sokka’s telling the truth, but he guesses he can leave it alone. He’ll raise a little hell for it, but if Sokka doesn’t want to talk about it until tomorrow, they don’t have to.

“You ruined a moment,” Zuko groans. “I was comfy, asshole.”

Sokka, shoulders drawn up to his ears, brow intensely furrowed, relaxes ever so slightly. “I word-vomited. I—sorry.” 

“I was about to fall asleep,” Zuko grumbles, sinking back down. He rests his head back in Sokka’s lap and sighs in content. “And it’s fine, I’m just being a dick.”

“We should go to bed,” Sokka says. 

“I want to stay right here,” Zuko protests, his eyes weighing down again. He succumbs and shuts them with the intent of not having to open them again for another several hours. 

“You’re such a brat,” Sokka says a little more airily. He chuckles and the reverberation rolls through Zuko; it’s a pleasant feeling. 

“You like it,” Zuko breathes, consciousness slipping.

Just as Zuko’s about to slip into sleep, he thinks he hears Sokka say, “I do.”

But that may just be what he wants to hear and falls asleep before he can question it. 

***

Zuko’s awakened by the sun filtering through the gap between the blackout curtains and into his eyes. It’s probably the most undesirable way to wake up. He’s used to Izumi hugs and giggles, but when he opens his eyes, he remembers he’s not going to get that this morning. She’s miles away, and he’s in his best friend’s guest room, cuddling a stuffed lemur. A sadness that had disappeared last night between Sokka’s arms starts to stream back in and surrounds Zuko. He sighs. 

The last time he _woke up_ sad was when Uncle died. 

Zuko just misses Izumi.

A knock on the door draws him from his thoughts. It’s soft enough that Zuko’s unsure if it’s a knock or just Sokka walking around, but then he knocks again a little louder. 

“Sokka?”

Zuko doesn’t know how he manages to open the door, but Sokka comes in with a tray full of food—breakfast in bed. Zuko doesn’t know what he’s done to deserve this, but he sits up and greets Sokka with a smile. It’s rare that he wakes up first. It’s usually the other way around. 

Without a word, Sokka places the tray down in front of Zuko and climbs on the bed, sitting across from him. Once he’s settled on the bed, he grins at Zuko. It’s a bit lopsided, and it makes happiness blossom in his chest. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you on the couch,” Sokka says, tucking some hair behind his ear. He’s let it out of his usual wolf’s tail. It lands just at his jaw, and Zuko thinks he’s gorgeous like that. (He’s gorgeous either way, but nonetheless.) “I wanted you to be comfortable.” 

Zuko bites his lip to suppress a smile and glances down at the food selection. He takes a piece of fruit and pops it into his mouth. 

“How are you feeling?” Sokka asks. 

The sadness had paused when Sokka walked through the door, but it resumes now that it’s mentioned. Zuko sighs, sets faux Momo aside, and pulls a knee to his chest. “I feel dumb for feeling sad. I just...I get good morning kisses and not having that is so weird.”

“It’ll be easier with time. I hate that you have to get used to that, but...you will eventually.” 

Zuko nods numbly and takes another bite of his fruit.

“Did you sleep well?” Sokka asks, taking some food for himself.

“Yeah. This bed’s comfortable.” It would’ve been more comfortable if he had cuddles, but he doesn’t say that. He doesn’t really know what else to say, all until he remembers what Sokka said last night. 

“Hey—what were you wanting to talk about?” Zuko asks, setting his food aside. With how nervous Sokka was, Zuko wants to know. 

Sokka stares at Zuko with wide, mildly panicked eyes. “You remember…?”

Zuko rolls his. “I was tired, not drunk. You said we could talk about it and you know how I am.”

Sokka now looks more than a little panicked. He won’t even look at Zuko. He stares at anything but—the food, the bedsheets, the painting hung above the bed. Zuko has no idea what it’s about, but seeing him so...freaked is not what Zuko’s used to. 

“It’s not a bad thing, is it?” Zuko asks. He reaches out and rests a comforting hand on top of Sokka’s, but it stiffens under his touch. “What’s it about?”

Sokka gulps. “You.”

Now, Zuko’s getting a little nervous. Is Sokka keeping something _important_ from him? Something frightening? 

“Sokka.”

“I-I can’t say it. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…I didn’t mean to say anything in the first place.” Sokka pushes his hand through his hair and shutters. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” Zuko asks. “If it’s about me, I have the right to know.”

Sokka shakes his head. 

“ _Sokka_.”

“I-it’s a bad time to say something, I—”

“ _Tell_ me.”

Sokka fights himself for a minute. Struggling to get the words out—looking like he wants to say one thing, but shutting his mouth again. He finally says, “What are _we_?”

The air’s sucked out of the room and Zuko can’t breathe. He also can’t quite wrap his head around what Sokka just said, or not _what_ he said. Rather, what he meant. 

“What?” The word’s a whisper. 

Sokka reestablishes eye contact, and while the words seemed to have relieved him, terror is etched into his features. He opens his mouth, but he shuts it again. 

“Say it,” Zuko says. 

“I have feelings for you.”

Zuko feels like he’s slipping, falling.

Falling.

 _Falling_ into the past.

Once upon a time when Zuko was seventeen years old, he had a best friend named Sokka that he was head over heels for. He pretended he wasn’t and at most dismissed it as a crush. Yet, he found himself all over him. Holding hands. Sitting shoulder to shoulder. It’s like his body couldn’t control itself while his mind told him to not give it away. 

At one point or another, he got over it. It was around the same time Zuko knew that Sokka couldn’t be his—when he got married to Suki. Zuko moved on. He got his other best friend pregnant and they raised a baby together. Life went on until it didn’t.

“Fuck, I probably ruined everything, didn’t I?” Sokka asks now, his voice heavy with tears. “Mai just did the same fucking thing to you.”

Zuko’s back in the room with Sokka and his eyes sting with tears. “Are you...are you going to stop being my friend? What do you...what?”

Sokka immediately shakes his head. “ _No_. I’m just...afraid you’re going to stop being _mine_. I didn’t want to say anything.”

“Are you sure you didn’t? What made you want to in the first place?” Zuko doesn’t even feel like he’s the one talking. He feels completely and utterly out of it. 

“I….” Sokka exhales. “It was mostly just...how we were yesterday. How we’ve been lately. I thought before I married Suki that maybe you were just flirtatious in nature...and when you distanced yourself when I started dating her, and then how you started being flirtatious when we started _hanging out_ hanging out. I just. I wondered. I wondered if...and when we looked at each other yesterday. I thought that maybe...I thought maybe you liked me back…I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

When Zuko was in love with Sokka in high school, he repressed so hard that he forgot what was flirtation and what was best friends being best friends. He stopped with the flirting when Suki came around, more because he was sad. (And maybe, subconsciously, he did know he was flirting.)

Falling back into the habit of things a month ago was more natural than breathing. Holding Sokka’s hand, touching his face, falling asleep in his lap—friends don’t just do that, do they?

Zuko doesn’t know now—did he ever really get over Sokka if it was so easy to fall back into the rhythm of things? Did he just bury his emotions under his duties of teacher, student, father? 

“I can call you a taxi. I just—”

“Sokka.”

Zuko takes a few breaths, trying to ground himself. In, out, feel the world under him. He’s sitting on a bed. Sokka’s across from him. 

When he opens his eyes, he finds himself peering into waterfalls. Zuko pushes the tray aside and lessens the distance between them. 

For once, Zuko needs to be Sokka’s rock, but how? How, when he’s so confused? Zuko knows now, and he’s been slapped in the face with it—yes, he has feelings for Sokka, but then what?

Zuko can’t think of that now—not when his best friend, the man he cares so much about, is sobbing. 

Taking Sokka’s face into his hands, Zuko wipes his eyes. He brushes those tears away, trying to keep a cap on himself. “Don’t cry. P-please don’t cry, Sokka.”

“Ten years of friendship and I ruined it—”

“You didn’t ruin _anything_ ,” Zuko says, trying to swallow the mild panic. “Sokka, please look at me.”

Sokka sighs shakily and looks him in the eyes. 

“I have feelings for you. Please don’t cry, you didn’t ruin anything. We just...need to figure it out.” 

Sokka’s head lolls loosely into the palms of one of Zuko’s hands. He almost looks like he doesn’t believe him, but then he asks, “How long?”

“Since I was seventeen,” Zuko says. 

The panic that’s rolled through Sokka for so long finally seems to dissipate a tad. He sighs deeply and closes his eyes. Then, he chuckles quietly. “Since I was sixteen.”

“We’ve really had feelings for each other at the same time for so long,” Zuko whispers.

As much as Zuko loves his life and everything in it now, he still wonders—he can’t help it—just how different it would be if neither one of them weren’t so chicken shit.

There is one glaring inconsistency among Sokka’s statement, though. 

“What about Suki?” Zuko asks.

Sokka opens his eyes again and rubs some of the tears off of his face. “Okay, it was more like I had feelings for you before I started talking to her and after I divorced her. It doesn’t really matter now, though.” 

Zuko guesses it doesn’t. What matters is _now_ and what the fuck they’re going to do about it. 

“So,” Zuko says, giving Sokka some space. He sits back a little. “Our relationship….”

The _what now_?

“What are we...?” Sokka asks again, but more to himself it seems. It’s so quiet. But then he looks at Zuko. “What do you _want_ to be?”

What _can_ he be? Zuko’s a father and a student. Does he have the time to be a boyfriend, too? Does he want it? Of course. Will he take any form of Sokka’s love? Definitely...but what does Sokka want down the line?

“Do you...would this be long term?” Zuko asks. 

Sokka deadpans. “Are you really asking that right now?”

Zuko itches the back of his neck and it’s hot to the touch. “I just...I have to take Izumi into account with any of this, and—”

Sokka’s hands rest on top of Zuko’s and he turns them upwards into his. Their fingers intertwine and Zuko’s chest feels full and warm. 

“I’ll take all of you, including your mini-me. I love her, too, Zuko. As her own little person, and as the person you created. I’m in for the long run, so when you’re ready for me to be another parent, _if_...I will take full responsibility of her. _If_ —fuck. I’m sorry. This will be your pace and—”

“Hey.” Zuko squeezes some heat into Sokka’s hands. “I want to think long term, and considering _everything_ , it probably will be a _when_.” 

Zuko can almost see it now. Sokka toting Izumi around on his hip. Cuddles. Cheek kisses and lullabies at bedtime. Sokka fits in with them...but they need to wait. At least for a bit. Until Izumi’s used to the new familial setup, until it feels normal. Not too much change at once for Izumi when she’s still uncertain of Mommy and Daddy’s situation. 

“What’re you thinking?” Sokka asks, wiping the few final tears off his jaw. He’s so much happier now, thank spirits. Zuko gives his hands an extra squeeze. 

“We can’t let Izumi know for a while. But...let’s do this.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! I hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> This story is a part of a whole AU I have, so if you have any prompts or requests for fics about the Papa Sokka universe, please please please leave requests! I would love to write things you'd like to see! Also, I'm running an ask blog alongside this series of short multi-chapters and one shots. You can follow me on my [Papa Sokka Blog](https://ask-papasokka.tumblr.com/)! It's where I answer short questions as Sokka. I would love it if you joined me over there!
> 
> Anyway, my next big plan with the series is Sokka and Zuko telling Izumi, so stay tuned! Thank you again for reading!


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